Against The Beautiful And The Clever And

I Want Men To Admire Me, But That's A Trick You Learn At School--a Movement Of The Eyes, A Tone Of Voice, A Touch Of The Hand On The Shoulder Or The Head. If They Think You Admire Them, They Will Admire You Because Of Your Good Taste, And When They Admire You, You Have An Illusion For A Moment That There's Something To Admire.

Insecurity Twists Meanings And Poisons Trust. In A Closely Beleaguered City Every Sentry Is A Potential Traitor.

The Sense Of Unhappiness Is So Much Easier To Convey Than That Of Happiness. In Misery We Seem Aware Of Our Own Existence, Even Though It May Be In The Form Of A Monstrous Egotism: This Pain Of Mine Is Individual, This Nerve That Winces Belongs To Me And To No Other. But Happiness Annihilates Us: We Lose Our Identity.

From Childhood I Had Never Believed In Permanence, And Yet I Had Longed For It. Always I Was Afraid Of Losing Happiness. This Month, Next Year...death Was The Only Absolute Value In My World. Lose Life And One Would Lose Nothing Again Forever.

Oh, She Doesn't Belong To Anybody Now,' He Said, And Suddenly I Saw Her For What She Was - A Piece Of Refuse Waiting To Be Cleared Away: If You Needed A Bit Of Hair You Could Take It, Or Trim Her Nails If Nail Trimmings Had Value To You. Like A Saint's Her Bones Could Be Divided Up - If Anybody Required Them. She Was Going To Be Burnt Soon, So Why Shouldn't Everybody Have What He Wanted First? What A Fool I Had Been During Three Years To Imagine That In Any Way I Had Possessed Her. We Are All Possessed By Nobody, Not Even By Ourselves.